In addition to more retailers embracing mobile technology for self scanning, Starr foresees a stronger uptake of mobile point of sale (POS) devices.
“This will free up sales associates to move away from fixed cash registers to serve customers wherever they are in the store,” he said.
An increasing adoption of larger, tablet devices with data capture capabilities is also expected, which Starr says will give field workers in service, asset management and maintenance roles the ability to better fulfil the demands of their roles.
Two vertical markets Motorola Solutions services include public safety, and minerals and energy.
“These industries are facing common pressures, including the need to protect the safety of their staff and operations while maintaining high performance and managing costs,” Starr said.
“In 2012, we helped these sectors to plan for their future communications needs by showing them what 4G LTE mobile broadband communications can do through a series of live demonstrations.”
For those reasons, Starr expects long term planning to continue for the networks, applications and devices that may be needed “into the next decade and beyond.”
Making it personal
With these trends taking place, Starr said Motorola Solutions will not be sitting idly by next year.
For one, the vendor will be introducing new mobile computers such as the MC40 to enable workforces to be mobile, increase productivity and drive better customer interactions.
In the retail space, Starr said the vendor’s next generation of devices are designed to deliver a “more personalised experience” for in-store customers.
“We’ll have new scanners that use imaging based bioptics, which means you can read a mobile phone at the point of sale,” he said.
“We’ll also be introducing the SB1, a wearable mobile computer which will enable store managers to allocate tasks to the most appropriate employees for the job, conduct price checks, and quickly respond to out of stocks.”
Motorola Solutions’ customers and partners will have the opportunity to see and test a variety of technologies at the vendor’s new Australian Innovation Centre in Melbourne.
“They will be able to understand what works best and can be implemented for their day-to-day operations,” he said. At the same time, Starr said the vendor willl continue to support its local channel community through added investment in skills and training.
